I. Field
The present invention relates generally to data communication, and more specifically to techniques for selecting a suitable communication system to obtain wireless data services.
II. Background
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, data, and so on. These wireless networks may be capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available resources and may be based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or some other multiple-access techniques. A CDMA-based network may implement one or more standards such as Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), IS-2000 Releases 0 and A (commonly referred to as CDMA 1×), IS-856 (commonly referred to as CDMA 1× EV-DO), IS-2000 Release C (commonly referred to as CDMA 1× EV-DV), IS-95, and so on. (As used herein, “IS-2000” includes all releases of this standard.) A TDMA-based network may implement one or more standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). W-CDMA, CDMA 1×, CDMA 1× EV-DO, and CDMA 1× EV-DV are third generation standards for CDMA, and IS-95 and GSM are second generation standards for CDMA and TDMA, respectively. A GSM network may implement General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) or Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) for packet data transmission.
CDMA 1×, CDMA 1× EV-DO, CDMA 1× EV-DV, IS-95, W-CDMA, GSM/GPRS, and GSM/EDGE may be viewed as different “wireless network” technologies. Each wireless network technology corresponds to a different combination of (1) a radio access technology for over-the-air communication and (2) a data network technology for packet data transmission. The data network technologies are not explicitly identified for some of the wireless network technologies noted above. For simplicity, the following description, a CDMA family of standards/technologies includes CDMA 1×, CDMA 1× EV-DO, CDMA 1× EV-DV, IS-95, and other standards adopted by a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards/technologies includes W-CDMA, GSM/GPRS, GSM/EDGE, and other standards adopted by a consortium named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP).
Wireless communication networks of various wireless network technologies are widely deployed throughout the world by network operators (which may also be called service providers or wireless carriers). Each service provider may support a wide spectrum of wireless data services via its deployed networks. Such data services may include Internet connectivity, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) access, multimedia streaming, multimedia messaging, instant messaging, and so on. Each service provider may support different data services at different locations and may further provide these data services using different wireless network technologies. For example, a service provider may provide Internet connectivity in Europe using GPRS and Internet access in the United States using CDMA 1× EV-DO. This same service provider may also provide Short Message Service (SMS) and Instant Messaging Service (IMS) only in the United States and not in Europe. A service provider may also deploy multiple wireless networks of different wireless network technologies (e.g., CDMA 1× and CDMA 1× EV-DO) in the same area to provide the same or different data services. Thus, at any given location, one or more wireless networks of the same or different wireless network technologies operated by one or more service providers may be available to provide a multitude of wireless data services.
A wireless multi-mode device (e.g., a dual-mode cellular phone) may be capable of communicating with wireless networks of different wireless network technologies (e.g., CDMA 1×, CDMA 1× EV-DO, W-CDMA, GSM/GPRS, GSM/EDGE, and so on) to obtain wireless data services. This capability allows a wireless user/subscriber to obtain data services from more wireless networks and to extend coverage with the same device. For example, the wireless user using the multi-mode device may roam through wireless networks of different service providers. At any given moment and location, the multi-mode device may be within the coverage area of one or more wireless networks of the same or different wireless network technologies and operated by one or more service providers. Each wireless network may provide a respective set of data services. Depending on the location of the multi-mode device and the service subscriptions, the wireless user may have many choices in terms of which wireless networks may be used to obtain the desired data services.
Conventionally, a wireless device may be provisioned or pre-configured with one or more “contexts” (for the UMTS family) or “dial strings” (for the CDMA family), which may be activated to obtain wireless data services. CDMA-based devices can use different means to convey what services are required. For simplicity, the use of dial strings to specify services is described below for a CDMA-based device. The contexts or dial strings are typically provisioned on the wireless device by a specific service provider for a specific wireless network technology and are thus implicitly or explicitly associated with the service provider and technology. Each context/dial string includes pertinent information needed to establish (i.e., activate or set up) a data call for a specific data service via a wireless network operated by the service provider. To obtain a desired data service, the wireless user would normally need to either (1) browse through a list of contexts/dial strings provisioned on the wireless device and select a suitable context/dial string for the desired data service or (2) specify a context/dial string. The wireless user would then activate the selected context/dial string to establish data connectivity.
The conventional usage model described above, wherein the wireless user selects an appropriate context/dial string for a combination of data service, wireless network technology, and service provider, places most of the decision burden on the wireless user. This usage model is suitable for a simple case in which a limited number of choices for contexts/dial strings are provisioned on the wireless device. However, a wireless multi-mode device may be designed with the capability to communicate with wireless networks of different technologies to obtain a multitude of data services. The conventional usage model would not be well suited for such a multi-mode device. This is because the conventional usage model requires the wireless user to be aware of: (1) the various types of wireless networks that are accessible at any given time and location, (2) the data services that are available from each wireless network, and (3) the data service each context/dial string is capable of providing. All of this can complicate data usage for the wireless user.
There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to more easily select wireless networks to obtain desired data services.